Misgivings and Misreadings
by xxliveforever17xx
Summary: A serious misinterpreting of a relationship might cause a permanent riff between Sam and Andy.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys!_

_So there was a rather hilarious situation that occurred a couple of days ago, involving me, a good friend of mine, another guy, and a seriously misinterpreted relationship, all of which inspired this story, though the funny part isn't in this first chapter, but it will come later!_

_Anyways, hope you all enjoy! As always, please review, they make me so very happy! xx

* * *

_

During moments like these, Andy McNally sorely missed the ocean. The stuffiness of the Black Penny was causing her to overheat, evident in her flushed cheeks and lack of upper clothing. She motioned to the bartender to bring over another beer before she was joined by Traci.

"Are you purposely trying to catch Swarek's attention?" her friend asked, motioning in the general direction where the aforementioned cop was sitting. Andy turned her eyes to where Traci's hand was waving and caught his steady gaze, her heart beating faster against her will.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, absentmindedly tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear.

"You barely have any clothes on Andy - and this _shirt_ you're wearing, well...let's just say it doesn't leave anything to the imagination." Traci smirked as she purposely dipped her eyes downwards to prove her point. Andy's cheeks grew hotter.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't care if Sam sees me like this. We're friends, he should deal with it," she answered, a bit too adamantly.

"Look, all I'm saying is that your former training officer and current partner hasn't stopped staring at you since you walked in. Sweetie, you and Homicide Luke are done for good, so enjoy your new found freedom. Speaking of which, you never gave me the full reason why you guys broke up."

"Traci, that's because for the last three weeks we've barely seen each other, with you chained at desk duty and me taking the night shift."

Andy bit her lip as she involuntarily glanced towards Sam again, and seeing his gaze as steady and unsettling as ever, looked away.

Why had she and Luke broken up? She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment she realized she didn't love him, or the main reason for their split. Him working all the time had been a problem. The pregnancy scare had been another, and he had made it very clear he wasn't at all thrilled with the possibility of her carrying his child. And then there had been the massive problem he had had with her being permanently partnered with Sam. She distinctly, acutely remembered their last conversation. It had been more of a fight, actually, a full-blown argument with Luke basically giving her an ultimatum - him or Sam. And even though she deeply cared for Luke, the mere thought of not having Sam in her life, even in the professional capacity, had made it very clear where her loyalties laid.

Needless to say, Luke had not been happy with her decision. That same night, she had downed a full bottle of liquor, the only thought running through her mind was how happy she was that they hadn't moved in together yet.

But she wasn't going to tell Traci any of that. Even though she was her best friend, she wasn't ready to admit her feelings for a fellow cop. If dating her training officer had been a no-no, then dating her _partner_ was practically treason.

"I don't know, we just grew apart I guess. Him working all the time, me needing him when he wasn't around," she shrugged, reconciling her lie with the consolation that what she had just said was true...just not the whole truth.

"Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. Jerry and I are on thin ice and I don't know if..." Andy looked once again at Sam, this time not breaking visual when she met his eyes. The intensity of his gaze both frightened and exhilarated her at once, and after a long moment of just staring at her, he smiled and made his way over to where she was sitting, and it was only then that she realized Traci had gotten up and left.

"Rough day, huh?" he said, taking the stool that Traci had vacated.

"Yeah, you could say that," she replied, running her fingers through her hair before taking a drink from the bottle, unaware of just _how_ aware Sam was of the way she ran her tongue around the top of the bottle's neck. "But you had my back out there, as always," she conceded, smiling at him.

"You're my partner. I'll always have your back," he answered, in a more serious tone than he had meant to. He stared at her profile for a minute before she met his eyes again. "You want to get out of here? I'll give you a ride home," he said, his voice husky and low. She licked her lips unconsciously and leaned forward slightly, intent on answering with a yes, until the tinkling of the bell above the door as it swung open interrupted them.

They both glanced over at the sound, and Andy was aware of a slight pause in the conversations around her as all eyes in the place turned towards the person in the door.

Tall, blond, and tanned, with a face of a supermodel...the first thing that came to Andy's mind was how unfair the world was in terms of handing out beauty. The sound of voices resumed as people went back to their conversations, and Andy's heart sunk as the woman sauntered over to where they were sitting.

"Excuse me sir, but has anyone told you that you look exactly like James Dean?" she asked, her voice a grating purr.

"I'm sorry m'am, do I know you?" he answered as Andy's head whipped around to gauge his expression. There was no interest that she could detect...except a smug little smirk.

The following exchange that happened was the last thing that Andy could have imagined. The woman threw her head back and laughed, a low, throaty laugh that seemed out of place coming from her mouth. She threw her arms around Sam and kissed his cheek.

"Sammy! You old bastard, I've missed you!" she exclaimed, and Andy detected a slight Southern accent - as if the woman wasn't already oozing sexual charm.

"Honestly Trish, you're completely suffocating me," Sam answered, a wide smile on his face as the woman untangled herself from him. Andy's heart did an odd clenching pattern that she had thought had been a malfunction that had happened when she had been introduced to Monica.

The woman turned to her, beaming from ear to ear. "I've been so rude, my apologies! Sam, who's this gorgeous girl?"

"This is Andy, she's my - " Trish cut him off with a squeal.

"You're Andy McNally! I've heard so much about you. I'm Patricia, but you can call me Trish. Actually, I insist on it," she said. Andy had a hard time keeping up with the rapid pace at which the woman talked. A flash of something hot and not at all nice went through Andy as the woman casually put her arm around Sam's shoulders and leaned against his hip.

"Nice to meet you," she said, trying desperately to infuse her tone with coolness and calm, though her insides were anything but. "I'm sorry, how do you know each other?"

"Oh, Sammy and I practically lived with each other growing up. Next door neighbors you see, and inseparable. He was my date to the junior senior prom, which was a ball of fun."

Sam snorted. "Ball of fun - nice double entendre there Trish." Their exchange was completely lost on Andy, though the meaning behind it was.

_They have their own inside jokes. How fucking nice for them,_ she thought, the same foreign feeling that had been their a moment ago returning with greater force. She didn't know if she could watch them any longer without indulging in the fantasies running through her mind involving her fist against Trish's perfect nose. Plus, the extremely impolite way the woman was running her gaze over her body was making Andy both uncomfortable and irritated at the same time, as if they both knew she didn't measure up to the standard of beauty that was currently attached to Sam's side.

"You two have a lot of catching up to do. I don't want to get in your way. It was nice meeting you though, Trish," she said, amazed that she could speak out of gritted teeth. Sam leaned forward slightly.

"You need a ride still? I'm happy to take you," he said with a smile, starting to stand up. She shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine. I need the fresh air, anyways. See you tomorrow?" she said, her voice trailing off quietly as he sat back down with Trish's arm still firmly around his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, see you tomorrow," he answered, a slightly puzzled expression crossing his features.

"It was wonderful meeting you Andy, hopefully we'll see each other real soon, right?" Trish said, her accent enormously grating to Andy's ears.

"Yeah, hopefully," she replied, faking a smile before walking out of the bar, not bothering to say goodbye to Dov or Traci.

_Hopefully not,_ she thought to herself. The strange turmoil in her stomach intensified as she involuntarily started comparing herself to the blond woman, seeing her rather big lips on Sam's cheek over and over again in her mind.

She couldn't lie to herself any longer, though she was loathe to admit the rather obvious thing - she was jealous.

Andy McNally was jealous.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys!_

_So I'm having more fun than I realized writing this story...maybe my Rookie Blue withdrawals are making me unnaturally giddy to do anything remotely related to RB. =)_

_ Thanks for all your lovely feedback on Chapter 1. Hopefully you'll like this update even better! Next chapter will have way more jealous Andy and plot development, I promise. And I'll update 'Luck' soon, I've just hit a massive wall creative-wise, so thanks for your patience!  
_

_Anyways, hope you enjoy! As always, please review! xx

* * *

_

"I have to give it to you Sam," Trish said as she sat down next to him, "you sure know how to pick your women." She took a swig of the still full bottle Andy had left.

Sam cringed at the overt breach of personal hygiene, then laughed at the smirk she gave him. "I have no idea what you're talking about Trish," he answered, taking a drink from his own glass.

She raised her eyebrows in protest. "You don't think I noticed how gorgeous she was?" she asked.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah Trish, I definitely noticed your obvious appreciation. Do you think you could be at least a little discreet?"

She punched him in the arm playfully. "Since when have you known me to be discreet?" she teased, turning in her seat to face him full on. "So how long have you been sleeping with her?"

Sam choked on the alcohol he had unfortunately just taken a sip of. "Excuse me?"

"Sam, I'm not an idiot. Do you honestly expect me to believe that there isn't anything going on between the two of you? You're both young, gorgeous, and thrown into dangerous situations that spike your adrenaline. If that isn't a recipe for amazing sex, then I don't know anything."

"Look, she was my rookie for a year, and now she's been my partner for three months. Even if I did want her, and I'm not saying I do, I couldn't do anything about it. It's a major breach of protocol." Conversations like these, though far and few, always got him rather hot and frazzled. Oliver had attempted to have the "talk" with him when he had been permanently partnered with Andy, and Noelle had made passing comments also, which he had so far successfully deflected. He was consumed in thoughts about Andy already, and having to talk about them wasn't going to help at all.

"Wow, Sam Swarek actually follows rules now? My, how times have changed. At least you're still a horrible liar," she said, motioning for the bartender to come over.

"What are you talking about? I can lie my way out of anything. How do you think I lasted in undercover operations for so long?" he answered, wrinkling his nose at her.

"Fine. If there isn't anything going on between the two of you, is she up for grabs then?" Trish asked, a tiny smirk on her face.

Sam laughed despite himself, remembering the night of the blackout. "Sorry, Trish, I know for a fact she doesn't swing that way." As soon as the words came out of his mouth he regretted them, seeing a massive, self-satisfied grin break on Trish's features.

"You know for a fact, do you? You_ have_ been a busy boy, Sammy."

"Uh huh, sure _Patricia_, whatever you say." He knew he had gotten somewhat even with the usage of her proper name. "Speaking of being _busy_, how's Pat?"

Trish let out a strangled groan. "God, don't even get me started. Actually, please_ do _get me started, it's been unbearable."

* * *

"Good morning, sunshine. You're looking awful chipper today," Sam said with a grin as Andy slid into the cruiser. She groaned and put her hands over her ears before looking at him.

"Please don't talk so loud," she said softly, a strange buzzing in her ears making Sam's usually smooth voice oddly distorted.

"McNally, you hardly had anything to drink at the Penny last night. How are you hungover?" he asked, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking lot.

"I might have had a drink or two when I got home," she answered, her voice thick. She caught Sam's questioning glance out of the corner of her eye. "Okay, maybe four, five. More like six, actually."

"Here, this might help," he said, making sure to talk in a soft tone as he handed her a cup of coffee. "Double shot with a pump of caramel."

Andy gratefully took the cup. "Thanks Sam, you're the best," she said, smiling at him. He couldn't help but notice that even with dark bags under her eyes she still was beautiful. He had never agreed with the saying that dark circles give a woman's face character, but that was strangely the case here.

"You must be a fun drunk," he said lightly, glancing over at her, glad when his statement garnered a slight smile.

"You have no idea," she said, her voice unintentionally husky from the hot liquid. "Apparently my skills at strip poker are extremely diminished with intake of alcohol."

She was seemingly oblivious to what her off-hand comment had done to Sam. He squirmed slightly in his seat, for once glad for the bulky constraints of his uniform.

"Why did you take off so suddenly last night?" he asked, quickly switching the subject before she said anything else that would further his sudden inability to concentrate.

Andy froze momentarily, then took a very long drink of coffee to stall even further.

Why _had_ she taken off so suddenly? One word - Patricia. _Oh, wait, I have to call her Trish...she **insists** on it,_ she thought bitterly. It was so blindingly obvious that the blond woman had major history with Sam, and with the additional knowledge that they had been prom dates had just about sent Andy over the deep end. She physically and emotionally couldn't have taken watching the two of them fondle and fawn over each other for another minute. Yes, it was probably karma, since she had dallied around with Luke for so long, but it had always been Sam that was first in her heart. But karma was a bitch, and Andy was just now reaping the consequences of her poor choices.

She could never measure up to a beauty like that. Life was incredibly, completely unfair, which was why she had drunk herself into near oblivion last night. She had had to find some way to drown out the voice in her head saying Sam could never be interested in her when he had Trish in his life, and it was either a ten mile run or opening the bottle of vodka Dov had gotten her for her birthday last month.

"Oh, you know," she said flippantly, "it seemed like you and Trish had a lot to talk about. Plus, I needed to catch up on my reading." The lame excuse was not lost on either of them.

"Catch up on your reading? Geez, McNally, what are you, a librarian?"

"You know what? I'm going to choose to ignore that. Not all of us are nescient neanderthals," she shot back.

"I'm sorry, nesc-what?"

"Nescient. It means uneducated. See, learning new words is one of the benefits of reading, something that you wouldn't understand," she said smugly, leaning back in her chair.

"Oh, I see, you're one of those sesquipedalian nerds," he said, enormously gratified at the shocked expression on his partner's face. "Now who's the nescient neanderthal?"

There was a beat of silence in the car, then they both broke into laughter. The car jerked to the left as Sam lost control of the wheel due to his uncontrollable laughing, and Andy couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"You're such an idiot," she said between gasps, holding her stomach.

"You and me both, Andy...you and me both," he replied, allowing himself a brief moment of intimacy by calling her by her first name.

"My headache's gone," she said after a moment, a relieved smile gracing her face.

"Coffee and laughter McNally, it's the only way to go," he replied, grinning back at her.

"I'm not getting hammered ever again," she said firmly, slouching slightly in her seat.

"Oh come on, I thought I was going to get to see your horrible strip poker gaming skills," he teased, though half of him was dead serious.

"Yeah, nice try Sam. You wish," she laughed.

The ringing of his cell phone brought them both back to reality.

"Yeah, Swarek...hey Trish," he said.

And just like that, Andy's good mood was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys! Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews! They make me so happy =)_

_So a jealous Andy was really quite fun to write...more fun than I had thought. Hopefully I didn't go overboard with it._

_ Anyways, there's one more chapter after this. Hope you all enjoy this, and as always, please review! xx

* * *

_

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the green-eyed monster of jealousy had made itself at home in Andy's heart, and in those fourteen days she had been constantly tormented by thoughts of the beautiful blond who seemed to be permanently attached at Sam's side. Trish was at the Penny every night. Trish called Sam almost every day while they were on shift - never mind that they were working and could be at any time involved in a stand-off or hostage situation. And Sam answered almost every time, with Andy only privy to one side of the conversations she so desperately wanted to listen to. She over analyzed every sentence they spoke to each other, every movement she saw them make at the Penny, trying to decipher any romantic feelings or sexual tension between the two.

It was disconcerting, really, seeing him constantly involved with another woman other than...well, herself.

She half wondered, in silent thoughts during sleepless nights, if Sam had felt this way when she had been with Luke. Every time her trail of thought went down that path, she allowed herself stolen moments of fleeting pleasure in thinking that he had in fact been consumed by jealousy the way she was now. But she only allowed herself mere seconds, because Sam had moved on from whatever she and him had had...which was, come to think of it, nothing. Nothing, except some mishandled night of passion that was cut short.

She hit the punching bag hard, the image of Trish's face replacing the red nylon fabric in front of her. Sweat poured down her face, a loose strand of hair sticking to her sweaty forehead. The door to the gym opened, the rush of cold air feeling good against her hot skin.

She wasn't a violent person at all, but she hadn't hit something in a while, and to be perfectly honest, it felt good.

She punched the bag again, her face twisting with intensity and anger.

"Damn McNally, remind me never to get on your bad side," a male voice said, and she turned to see the very man her thoughts were revolving around at the moment.

"Sam," she breathed, slightly winded from her erratic punches, "what the hell are you doing here?"

"I saw you from the outside, and thought I'd step in and see what's wrong," he answered, a lopsided grin on his face, completely relaxed except for his eyes. If Andy didn't know any better, she would have thought they held trepidation and...nervousness?

"What do you mean 'see what's wrong'?" she asked, slipping one hand out of the black boxing gloves and wiping it across her face.

"Well, you only come here when you're upset about something," he said, hands slightly raised, as if on guard against any attack from her.

"I work out all the time," she said huffily, taking off the other glove and placing her hands on her hips in indignation.

"Yeah, but you only do this - " he gestured to the punching bag, "when something's eating you. I've been your partner for a year and a half, so I think I know when something's off in your world."

"Well aren't you a great detective?" she snapped, the harsh words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them, not knowing what he had done to make her so angry.

"Geez, McNally, don't bite my head off," he replied, his tone reflecting her coldness. He raised his hands against her verbal attack.

"You know what Sam?"

"What?"

"I'm going to choose to ignore that."

"Ignore what? I didn't do or say anything to deserve this, did I? I don't remember, so please enlighten me if I have somehow offended you," he said, his words laced with sarcasm.

Andy felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest, it was beating so fast. Why was she acting like this? She felt jittery, like her nerves were on fire. Jealousy alone didn't do this. Maybe it was the combination of jealousy, adrenaline, and the fact that it was that certain time of month, but whatever it was, Sam didn't deserve this kind of treatment.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, letting out a trembling sigh.

"Andy, what's wrong?" Sam asked, his voice gentle, letting her know he didn't hold a grudge for the way she had just treated him. "Tell me. Is it your dad?"

"No, no, it's not. He's fine." She shook her head.

"Then what is it?" he asked. His concerned eyes almost broke her resolve to keep her silence on the whole jealousy thing.

_It's Trish, you moron! You guys are all buddy-buddy and it's eating me alive. I'm your 'friend'. I'm your...I'm yours. Right?_

"Nothing, it's nothing. It's just been a long week, that's all," she lied, hoping that he couldn't tell. His eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing, and she shivered despite herself as his eyes bore into hers. It was like he was peeling back her walls, one by one, until he would find the real reason she was acting like this. And he could never, ever find out.

"Okay," he finally said, taking a step towards her. "You need anything, or you wanna talk, you call me." The offer nearly brought tears to her eyes._ Good God, my hormones are out of whack._

"Thanks Sam," she said, smiling weakly. He smiled back, though frown lines were still evident on his forehead.

"Always. You wanna get out of here, get a burger or something? You must be starved."

"Yeah. Yeah that would be great," she answered, this time her smile real. "You sure you don't mind going out with me like this?" She gestured to her messy ponytail and makeup-less face.

He let out a soft laugh which finally dispelled the frown lines. "You look beautiful Andy. You always do." The momentary lapse of his mind filter made him freeze at his words, like he was unsure of how she would respond, but she didn't seem to notice his sudden anxiety.

"Yeah, nice try. I'm still going through with my plan to crash your next poker night with Traci."

"Honestly, McNally, you're mood swings are going to be the death of me," he said, somewhat serious.

"I keep you on your toes. It's not like you don't have mood swings yourself," she answered over her shoulder as she headed into the locker room. "Give me five minutes to freshen up, okay?"

* * *

"Andy, just know that poker night is a time-honored tradition that isn't taken lightly. You either come to win or don't come at all," Jerry said, a faux serious expression on his face as he tipped his glass towards her.

"Oh come on, Jer, don't dissuade her. She told me her strip poker skills are severely diminished with alcohol. We'll just have to get her drunk, that's all," Sam said, coming up behind them with a grin.

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?" Andy laughed.

"Hell no, McNally. You can't just drop a bombshell like that and expect me to forget about it," he teased. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her hair, the motion sending her nerves into overdrive.

"Why does your hair smell like chocolate?" he asked, a sly smirk on his face.

"Maybe because someone 'accidentally' spilled his milkshake on me when he tripped on a rock," she shot back, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Hey, I never said it wasn't a good smell," he said, shrugging, a twinkle in his eye. They both saw the door open and the woman walk through it at the same time. Andy's heart plummeted.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back," Sam said, setting down his drink and walking towards the blond who was standing in the doorway. Andy saw her eyes light up at the sight of him walking towards her. She saw her lips move with a smile, and she tensed when Trish laid a hand on his arm. Sam gestured to the outside, and the two of them disappeared into the night.

She knew it was foolish, stupid, and immature, but she had a sudden all-consuming desire to follow them outside.

"Hey, Jerry, I think I see Traci over there," she said, waving her hand vaguely in the direction of a particularly busy corner of the bar. He shot her a grin and jumped off the bar stool.

She got up and walked outside, trepidation and anxiety and just a little bit of foolhardiness mixing with the already generous amounts of alcohol swirling around in her bloodstream.

They were in the parking lot, near a streetlight.

Sam pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a small box.

He opened it.

The light reflected off the diamond ring that was sitting in the velvet encasement.

Trish let out a squeal.

There was a beat of silence.

She through her arms around Sam.

Andy saw his lips moving.

"Is...what...wanted." She only caught every third word or so from his mouth.

It was an entirely different matter when Trish opened hers.

One word.

"Yes."


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys! Here's the fourth and final chapter. I'm not quite sure about it. Though I had this plot line in my head the entire time, it came out a bit funkier than than I wanted it to. Even so, I had a blast writing this...jealous Andy, misinterpreted situations. Haven't we all been there? =)_

_Also, thanks so much for all the fantastic reviews! They truly mean so much to me, to know that you guys like my writing. I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations!_

_As always, please tell me what you think...I love feedback! Hope you all enjoy! xx

* * *

_

In retrospect, Andy was amazed at how much self-control she had when she walked away from the parking lot, turning her back on the scene she had just witnessed.

She had blindly made her way home, emotionally paralyzed. Her mind had been a blank slate. No thoughts, no pictures, no anything. But now, sitting on her kitchen floor, legs splayed out in an awkward pose, one emotion had made its way through her nonsensical haze.

Hate.

Of course, there were a mixture of other feelings, but the one that was most prominent was hate. She could practically taste it on her tongue, an acidic bitterness that mingled with the salty tears that were running down her face.

She hated Trish, for being beautiful and perfect in every sense, and for waltzing in and stealing Sam's heart in a mere two weeks. She hated Sam, for reasons that were still unclear - for abandoning her, maybe, or something she quite couldn't put her finger on. She even hated the jeweler who had sold him the ring, though it was completely irrational. And most of all, she hated herself. For many reasons, but mostly for never telling Sam...that what? She loved him?

Love was for people who liked to hurt - masochists. She had learned that a long time ago. The effects of a love lost were a first-hand experience in the form of her father. She had spent many hard years carefully building walls of stone around her heart, because she sure as hell didn't want to hurt.

And then those walls had tumbled as easily as Jericho's had. Except it wasn't the sound of trumpets that had brought them down - it was a man. One, single, solitary man. And she hated it.

She looked down at the bottle she had clenched in her hand, her knuckles white as she gripped the brown glass hard. It was unopened.

She wasn't drunk, the three drinks she had had five hours ago at the Penny long dissipated. So why was this foolhardy, incredibly foolish plan starting to shape in her mind?

Maybe pain had the same effect as alcohol, numbing you to reality, pushing you to do things that you wouldn't normally do with your inhibitions intact.

Thirty seconds later, the rush of fresh air filled her nostrils as she walked the well-known route. The pins and needles in her legs faded as she walked quickly, even without alcohol her balance off-kilter from the ragged sobs she was slowly getting under control. By the time she arrived, her tears had dried and her breathing had slowed to normal save for the occasional slight hitch.

She withdrew her hand after knocking, the door opening after a few seconds.

"Andy," Sam said, the surprise evident in his eyes.

"What the hell, Sam?" she asked, her hands clenched at her sides. Her carefully composed speech she had thought on the walk over flew out the window at the sight of his face. Irrationality and anger, with anguish and that all-too familiar hate kicked into overdrive.

"Excuse me?" His mouth fell open at her harsh words, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Don't play dumb. I'm your partner. You don't think I saw what was happening between you two?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at her seemingly senseless accusation.

"You know what I'm talking about. Trish." She practically spat out the monosyllable word. It was a moment before he answered.

"Are you jealous McNally?" he asked, the slight smile on his face only further antagonizing her.

"No," she said, slightly faltering in her answer.

"Andy," he answered, his smile widening, "you _are_ jealous."

"Were you even going to tell me Sam? Huh? Or would I just have found out when you sent out the wedding invitations? Would I have even been invited?"

"Excuse me?" he said again, confusion clearly written on his face. "What wedding?"

"You and Trish! You make such a happy couple," she said bitterly.

"Me and Trish?" he echoed. "Are you drunk?"

"Just because my dad is an alcoholic doesn't mean I am," she answered, the words coming out before she had a chance to filter them. His eyes widened at how she misinterpreted what he had just said.

"No, Andy, I didn't mean it that way. What is wrong with you?"

"You're engaged Sam!"

"What? You care to enlighten me to an engagement I have no idea about?"

"I saw you! I saw you in the parking lot at the Penny."

His face fell at her words, his eyes filling with horror and a sudden realization. "Oh God, Andy, no..."

"How could you?" she whispered, the tears she had conquered earlier threatening to spill over again.

"Andy," he said again, his voice lowering to match hers. He took a step forward and reached his hand out.

"Is everything alright?" a third voice entered the conversation. Andy looked past Sam and saw the one person she never wanted to see again. _Trish._

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry_._" Andy's eyes widened as she registered the scene before her. They must have been celebrating their engagement. And she had ruined it with her insane jealousy. She turned to leave, her hair whipping her face as a sudden breeze picked up, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She looked down and saw Sam's fingers wrapped around her wrist.

"Andy," he whispered.

"I looked at your cards Sam, and I have to say you are a great bluffer..." Another woman walked out into the hallway. Andy's brow furrowed, taking in the new person. Tall, red headed, with a slight smattering of freckles under her blue eyes. She slightly resembled Julianne Moore, the stray thought in Andy's stream of consciousness out of place.

"Sorry, I didn't know we had company," the woman said with an apologetic look in her eyes. No one answered, all four pairs of eyes darting back and forth from one another. "Sam, are you going to introduce us? First you burn the pasta, and now you don't introduce us. You're a terrible host." The teasing lilt in her voice held no actual admonition. Sam let go of Andy's arm with three rapid blinks that mirrored Andy's.

"Yeah, um, sorry. Pat, this is Andy McNally, my partner. McNally, this is Pat Foster, Trish's - "

"My fiance!" Trish interrupted, a massive smile on a her face as Pat wrapped her arms around the blond woman.

Andy cocked her head to the side, her mind refusing to comprehend the sudden change of circumstances. She looked at the two women standing in each others' arms. A car drove past the house, the halogen glow of the front lights casting a glint off of Pat's hand. Andy looked down and saw the ring that Sam had given to Trish. But then that meant...

"Wait, you're gay?" she blurted out, blushing at her insensitive comment. That's not what she meant at all. "I mean, you're not with Sam?"

Now it was Trish's turn to look confused. "Me and Sam? Oh God no, that's frightening!"

Andy's mind was reeling, she had literally lost her balance, swaying slightly on the spot. Instinctively, Sam reached out and steadied her. She tried to say something, anything, but her mind refused to compute a sentence. The four of them stood in awkward silence, until Trish finally broke the silence.

"Pat, I'm starving. Shall we go cut a slice of cheesecake?" She gave a pointed glance at her fiance, then turned back to Andy.

"It was fantastic seeing you again Andy. We'll make sure to send you an invitation to the wedding. Maybe you and Sam could come together," she said, winking at the still form of her friend.

"And it was so nice meeting you after all I've heard. It's amazing how profusely the compliments flow after you get Sam a bit drunk," Pat said, and the two women walked giggling back into the house and out of sight.

Sam let go of Andy's arm and shoved his hands in his pockets, raising an eyebrow at Andy, giving her an opportunity to talk.

"Sam," she began before her voice jammed in her throat.

"Yes McNally?" he prodded, leaning forward slightly.

"Um..."

"You want to go for a walk?" he asked, gesturing to the open black night before them.

"Yeah, yeah sure," she agreed, her heart racing just a little faster as she felt him place a hand on the small of her back, a familiar motion that nonetheless still brought a nervous headiness to her. They walked in silence, the only sound being the faint rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through them.

"So Trish and Pat..." Andy ventured, her voice slightly cracking towards the end with anxious nervousness, failing at her attempted nonchalance.

"Are engaged," Sam finished. "And that ring you saw me give to Trish? I bought it for her to to propose to Pat. She didn't want Pat to discover her purchase on the off chance that she checked their balance before she popped the question."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

"No, you thought I asked Trish to marry me." His voice was serious. "I wouldn't do that Andy. I'm not in love with her. I mean, I love her, but in the way a brother loves his sister. That's all our relationship ever was - family." He took a deep breath as if to continue, but she cut him off.

"I just thought that with you two going prom together, maybe you had reconnected and..." she trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

"Yeah, we went to prom together, but only because Trish didn't have the guts to tell her parents she was gay."

"Oh."

Another silence followed, this one slightly less awkward.

"I'm so sorry Sam. I'm such an idiot," she said, turning her head to look up at him. He stared straight ahead, and she saw a muscle jump in his jaw before he looked down at her.

"Yeah, you were," he finally answered. "Tell me, McNally, were you jealous?" His eyes held a dangerous glint to them, and she knew better than to lie.

"Yes," she whispered, looking down at the ground, watching her feet move over the cracked pavement. She felt, rather than saw, Sam stop, so she did as well.

"Why?" His voice was low.

"You know why," she muttered to the ground.

"No, you're going to have to tell me," he said, taking her chin between his fingers and gently lifting it up until her eyes met his.

"Because I lo...I care about you," she stammered out, unable to bring herself to say the word she actually wanted to say. She tried to look away from his eyes, but the dark pools of emotions held her captive. His fingers trailed up her jawline.

"Me too," he murmured, smiling down at her. "The first word, McNally, not the second one you used," he said, a devilish glint in his eyes.

"What?"

He stepped so close to her that she could feel his heart beating against hers. He lowered his mouth to her ear.

"Love, Andy, love."


End file.
